Fokker F28 MK4000 accident near West Palm Bch, Florida, December 30, 1986
On December 30, 1986 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Fokker F28 MK4000, registered N510, suffered minor damage in an accident near West Palm Bch, Florida (West Palm Beach Internati airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 78 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 1986 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- West Palm Bch, Florida · West Palm Beach Internati · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 78 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fokker F28 MK4000
- Registration
- N510 · no longer on the register · serial 11167
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING PASSENGER BOARDING AT TALLAHASSEE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE LEFT HANDRAIL ON THE AIRSTAIR WAS COLLAPSED. THE FAILURE WAS AT THE SOLDERED JOINT AT THE HANDRAIL LOCKING MECHANISM. THE STATION MANAGER USED METAL GLUE FOR A TEMPORARY REPAIR OF THE JOINT. THE FLT CREW WAS MADE AWARE OF THE DISCREPANCY. THE ACFT THEN DEPARTED FOR WEST PALM BEACH VIA ORLANDO. THE AIRSTAIR WAS NOT USED AT ORLANDO. A DISABLED PASSENGER WAS INJURED WHEN THE HANDRAIL COLLAPSED WHEN BOARDING THE ACFT UNASSISTED AT WEST PALM BEACH. THE PASSENGER STATED THAT HE DID NOT NEED ASSISTANCE IN BOARDING JUST A LITTLE EXTRA TIME. WHEN THE HANDRAIL COLLAPSED THE PASSENGER LOST HIS BALANCE AND FELL TO THE GROUND RECEIVING SERIOUS INJURIES.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,300 hours in all; 130 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 71,000 lb
- Seats: 85
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB183MK555 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MCO Orlando FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from PBI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 74 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N510 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.